I think one of the most enjoyable aspects of teaching English here in Japan at Smiths School of English more me has always been the wide range of ages which we often encounter in one small classroom at the same time. It is always exciting and challenging for me to tailor a lesson for my group especially when those present may range in age from their teens to well into their “silver” years. シルバ 英会話
Our secretaries do a wonderful job at head office of making sure our students are scheduled in according to their levels so that concern is erased for us as teachers however, then the challenge of conducting a lesson which is both educational and holds the interest of all involved rests on our shoulders, and this can be… challenging as you may have some students in the classroom with a lifetime of experience while others have only recently crossed the threshold into adulthood.
One such student which falls into the latter group is the university student which is on the verge of entering the “professional” world and is often searching for a way to present himself or herself in the most positive light in the eyes of those who will be evaluating him or her upon graduation from university in determining if they are suitable for the position which the aspire to attain.
Smiths School of English in Fuse, スミス英会話布施校, is conveniently located to several universities and colleges, including one of the largest in Kansai, Kinki University, 近畿大学, also known as Kindai, 近大, located in Higashi Osaka City, 東大阪市, at Kintetsu Nagase Station, 近鉄長瀬駅, on the Kintetsu Osaka Line , 近鉄大阪線, and more recently at JR Nagase Station, JR長瀬駅. Currently I have several students from this university supplementing their regular studies with weekly English conversation lessons at Smiths School of English in Fuse. I know their schedules are quite busy with their regular studies, sometimes part-time jobs, and for those in their final year, job-hunting activities so I appreciate the extra effort they make to also attend English conversation lessons, usually in the evenings.
Each age group brings different challenges and has varying aspirations which make the dynamics of each class interesting for us as teachers here at Smiths School of English. Personally, I have always enjoyed teaching English to university students in Japan and I believe they have much to gain by joining an English conversation school to supplement their studies.
At their universities and colleges they often have the opportunity to study English as one of their regular subjects, and from what I understand, Kinki University, 近畿大学, has a commendable English language study center with various resources available to students, however one of the characteristics which I feel are very beneficial to university students in our classrooms at Smiths School of English is the ability to not only enhance their English conversational skills but to do so in a classroom with others who have been down the path they are currently on and can offer them “real-world” opinions of what is happening in the “business world”.
Off the top of my head, in addition to this very well known university I have also had the pleasure of teaching students from various other universities and colleges with varying majors, each with their own dreams and ambitions.
Some of the schools are located nearby while others are on the way for students who commute through Fuse, 布施駅, in Higashi Osaka, 東大阪, and so they stop off for an English lesson either on their way to school or back home. As I mentioned earlier, I greatly respect their efforts to better themselves by investing their time, money and energy into acquiring an additional skill set. Here are just a few of the schools that have been proudly represented at Smiths School of English in Fuse スミス英会話布施校:
1. Osaka Shoin Women’s College , 大阪樟蔭女子大学, located in Higashi Osaka 東大阪 on the Kintetsu Nara Line 近鉄奈良線 at Kawachi-Kosaka Station 河内小阪 駅.
2. Osaka Kyoiku University, 大阪教育大学, located in Kashiwara 柏原 on the Kintetsu Osaka Line ,近鉄大阪線, at Osaka Kyoikudai-mae Station, 大阪教育大前駅.
3. Osaka University of Commerce, 大阪商業大学, located on the Kintetsu Nara Line 近鉄奈良線 at Kawachi-Kosaka Station, 河内小阪駅.
4. Kansai University of Welfare Sciences, 関西福祉科学大学, located on the Kintetsu Osaka Line, 近鉄大阪線, in Kashiwara City, 柏原市,at Kawachi-Kokubu Station, 河内国分駅.
5. Osaka University of Economics & Law, 大阪経済法科大学 located in Yao City, 八尾市, between Hyotan-yama Station, 瓢簞山駅, on the Kintetsu Osaka Line, 近鉄大阪線, and Kawachi-Yamamoto Station, 河内山本駅 on the Kintetsu Osaka Line, 近鉄大阪線.
I often observe how university students in my classrooms are intrigued when listening to an experienced business man or business woman share their stories of why the study of English is important to their career and what opporunities it has opened up for them. University students can get a feel for how the study of English may make a direct impact on their future careers. Perhaps “may” is not the correct word, “will.”
University students also have much to offer as they bring their fresh energy, ambitions and dreams into our classrooms. I recently had the remarkable opportunity to “moderate” a classroom discussion involving a 21 year old economics major university student, a marketing midlevel manager of a technology company and a retired business man who is currently serving as a consultant in the field of international sales and marketing for several small to medium-sized firms in Kansai. It was so enlightening for me, and I’m sure for each one of those students, to compare and contrast the views, opinions and experiences present in that classroom on that day.
45 minutes was just not enough; I think they could have gone on for several hours!
Providing such an environment for our future leaders to share their ideas and hear the wisdom of those who have come before them is such an enriching experience for me and as I said earlier, I believe this provides a tremendous benefit for our students, in addition to enhacing their English speaking skills.
As I said at the onset of this article, I enjoy teaching English to all ages here at Smiths School of English and the ever-changing dynamics of our classrooms and the world always keep things interesting in this job.
Thank you,
Alessandro “Alex” Stanciu
アレッサンドロ“アレックス”スタンシュー
Smith’s School of English Fuse
月謝制 の スミス 英会話 布施 校
http://www.smithweb.co.jp/school/fuse.shtml 英会話 東大阪市
Al Bartle says
Alex,
You are so right. The environment that our classroom sometimes creates due to age differences can be extremely beneficial to those college students who are or will soon be taking interviews and preparing to enter the ranks of the “working”. They can really learn a lot from our older students. And this provides a lot to talk about which is not at all contrived dialogue as is normally presented in English conversation schools in Japan. It really helps the students to “use” English for a real purpose. When this occurs, English really becomes a useful tool for our students. We must strive to move them to that point. When they take that first step, it is like they jumped into the pool for the first time and are now having to actually swim instead of watching others swim. Of course going abroad is more tantamount to really jumping into the pool but still the experience you mentioned is a great step in that direction. Keep up the great work! By the way, I really like your sign at your school (seen in your picture with this post).
Al, SSE Okamoto
Edward says
Alex-
Variety is indeed the spice of life. It’s great to hear how much you enjoy teaching and how creative you are at maximizing learning opportunities for all your students by using the variety within the classroom to its full potential. I envy your seemingly natural ability to do this and strive to do so in my classroom.
Admiringly yours,
Edward, SSE Ohtsu
les says
Alex, your comments struck a chord in me thinking about my own classroom. I think it is a tremendous opportunity for students when they mix in class and sahre their ideas and thoughts and using english sometimes seems to wipe away barriers that would otherwise be present between those parties in Japanese. They both seem to refresh and refuel each other sometimes.
I look forward to getting more university students in the future, and maybe have a class like the one you described here in Ikoma.